DESCRIPTION: A large part of the land which was to become Mount Thomas Station was taken up by John Cowell Boys early in 1851, but as he failed to stock the station within the required year his license was revoked and subsequently taken up by John Thomas Brown. Brown was born in Norwich and trained and practised as a surveyor in England before immigrating to New Zealand in 1851 with his wife and family. Brown had gained some farming experience in England and he appears to have immigrated to New Zealand in order to take up land on the Canterbury plains. He consolidated his property by taking up the leases of another two runs in 1854 and 1858, stocking the land with cattle at first and then running sheep. Between 1855 and 1860 Brown let the entire station to the Maude brothers but he then managed the property himself until 1874. Brown and Thomas William Maude (1832-1905) were also partners in Ashwick Station, Burke's Pass at this time, their alliance no doubt strengthened by Emily Brown's marriage to Maude in 1861. Thomas had a long association with the hotel industry and he was one of the original directors of the Canterbury Brewing, Malting and Distilling Company in 1867. He was also President of the Canterbury Jockey Club in 1866, 1867 and 1872. After his wife's death in 1881 John Thomas remarried and lived at 'Abberley', St Albans until he died at the age of 72. In 1886 John Thomas Brown's youngest son, Herbert, was appointed manager of Mount Thomas after his brother Edward had become too ill to do the job. Four years later the station's leasehold land was offered for sale, but, as the Brown family did not want it, Walter Nicholls purchased the land. This left Herbert with about 6000 acres of freehold land, most of which he sold in 1910. Having married Annie Emily Mannering (1862-1941) in 1891, Herbert was apparently more interested in gardening than farming, and the couple developed one of the most beautiful gardens in the province in the early years of this century. The homestead was occupied by members of the Brown family until purchased by the present owners in 1985.

ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: The house is a two-storeyed colonial homestead which has been altered and enlarged since it was originally built. The turn of the century modifications are clearly revealed by the very additive nature of the downstairs floor plan and by the visible enclosure of over half of the original verandah. As the house now stands, the front door opens off the verandah into a hall which runs half the length of the house, providing access to the dining room, two living rooms, a bedroom with en suite bathroom, stairway, toilet and kitchen. From the latter one can enter the original kitchen, pantry and scullery as well as the servants quarters, which were also later additions. The first floor is apparently unaltered, however, and contains five bedrooms, a bathroom and an L-shaped hall at the top of a single flight of steep and fairly narrow stairs. Arranged beneath seven gabled dormers these rooms all have 'steeply sloping ceilings-cum-walls' into which are set three-pane casement windows and ventilators which do not appear to be original. The homestead's exterior is an attractive, if somewhat piecemeal, composition of flat-roofed bay windows, vine-covered verandahs and dormers with plain bargeboards and finials. MODIFICATIONS: 1890-1910 Alterations in two stages - cosmetic and structural 1. Half timbering first floor; mock quoins ground floor, (both treatments now removed). Drawing room extended to front verandah to accommodate a bay window and a chapel lit by lancet windows - one adobe brick wall removed. Verandah lowered in section sheltering the front door. Section of verandah running up to kitchen chimney enclosed. 2. Chapel removed, windows installed in St. Matthew's, Fernside. Drawing room further extended, corner bay window added - second adobe wall removed. Bay window added in dining room. Rear living room extended to line of verandah - two adobe walls removed. Kitchen chimney removed, same wall bay window added to bedroom. All verandah roofs flattened save for section over living room extension. Original kitchen partitioned; extra door cut in adobe and resulting corridor used for storage and access to toilet. Servants rooms built at rear. 1985 - Present owners undertaking extensive repair and restoration programme. To date the partition wall in 'new' kitchen has been removed to be replaced by windows. The rotting exterior weatherboards are slowly being replaced and the office has been removed.